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We are here! Moscow!

I joined a Moscow Free Tour for the second day of my trip in Moscow and the guide told us that there are three must-sees (or must-dos) in Moscow, and I agree.

1. The Kremlin 2. Moscow Metro 3. Moscow Free Tour

I bet the tour is very well-known as I saw a big group at the waiting spot in the morning when we arrived. The tour guide did give us an in-depth and interesting introduction of the most important sites and attractions in Moscow around the Red Square. We kicked start at a statue in the Varvarka Street, and then we moved on to the Romanovs Chambers, arrived at the Red Square, and then the guide gave a nice narration for the St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin Mausoleum, the Senate Palace, and so on. Our journey continued after a short break in GUM the shopping mall and we walked towards the Kazan Cathedral to the Kremlin entrance where the tour ended.

1. Getting a 3G pre-paid card in Moscow is easy and CHEAP.
Local LTE connection sim cars is only 400 rubles – more than enough data for a week in Moscow Instagraming, facebooking, google mapping, google translating and lots of web browsing.
2. Money Exchange booths could be found at the airport, and outside train station. The money exchange rates are different even inside the airport (but not much). But the money exchange stores in the city offers a better rate. Exchange a little bit at the airport and look for a better deal in the city later. But those street stores inspect your dollar bills and they don't accept Euros with any markings or writing on it.
3. Taxi in Russia is cheap. However, negotiation is necessary. Use mobile apps to have an idea of the approximate taxi fare of your destinations and before hailing a cab.
4. Most of the service people I met are struggled with speaking English. So be prepared to hear a lot of ‘No’ on the way. Just be patient, use body language and Google translate with your iphone
5. I have heard a lot of stories about Russian police and safety in Moscow. So far it is just like any typical European cities, and I don’t feel dangerous walking in the streets day and night. Just take the usual precaution and behave normally you are generally safe.